0 on this thursday. thanks for joining us, i am alison starling. >> i am cynne simpson. we begin with meteorologist steve rudin this morning. >> looking at a few showers out cited this hour, but nothing compared to what we have ice nights with the thunderstorms and the heavy rain. look at the satellite and radar. beginning to break apart. as we look at live super doppler radar, it is to the south and west of the d.c. metro. front royal, culpeper, look for showers over the next couple hours and even a little patchy fog. clearing by lunchtime. high temperatures in the upper 40's to around 50. the extended outlook is coming up. i have a great picture. there was an accident overnight that we have been talking about for several hours. i am glad to tell you that

everything is gone. inner loop at 50 toward annapolis. the longstanding truck accident has been cleared from the ramp. they will come back after 9:00 to complete the cleanup. a substantial amount of fuel spilled. 95 normal backup starting to grow. that is the scenario on 66 and 270 out of frederick. back to you. >> thank you. 6:01 breaking news from prince george's county. police investigating a shooting that left two people and another in grave condition. the shots were fired in the parking lot of an apartment complex on victory lane in suitland. two died and a third person was taken to the hospital in grave condition. police are looking for the data suspects in a gray midsized car with dark tinted windows. the vehicle might be a ford taurus. we will continue to follow the news and bring new details as they come into the newsroom.

our other top story this morning, two murders just days and blocks apart. it stunned the montgomery county community. this morning a suspect is in custody charged with the deaths of two men in olney. the accused killer is due to appear in district court in rockville later today. that is where we find brianne carter. good morning to you. >> good morning. these are crimes that rocked the community. a lot of fear among presidents, but now some relief knowing that there is a suspect behind bars. -- fear among residents. the suspect was the next-door neighbor of one of the victims. 35-year-old rohan goodlett faces two counts of first-degree murder in connection with two crimes that happen days apart in this quiet community. >> when i heard his name on the news i was in shock. i cannot believe it.

but i am happy that he was caught. >> police alleged last friday he shot and killed his neighbor, 81-year-old nazir ahmed. three days later he also gunned down punyasara gedara while was walking home from his job. ballistics tests and evidence found in the suspect's house? the same gun and bullets were used in both homicides. >> the whole thing is very disturbing. >> law-enforcement officials say at the time of the homicides he was on conditional release after having been found not criminally responsible for the 2008 crime due to his mental status. some people now question if someone should of been keeping a closer eye on him. >> he was supposed to be monitored slipped through the cracks. the results are hideous. beyond hideous. >> police originally were looking for vehicle and found he was driving a car that matched

to that description about an hour after the shooting on monday. authorities pulled him over and authorities allege they found marijuana inside the car and that he was arrested on a charge connected to that purity has been in custody since monday and is expected to meet the judds later today. police are still searching for a motive in both of these cases. reporting live, brianne carter, abc 7 news. -- expected to meet a judge. human remains were discovered in a woodbrige dumpster after firefighters put out a dumpster on bayside ave. police bentonite canvassing the area for information and handing out fliers. investigators cannot tell if the victim was a man or a woman. following developing news this morning. the faa is investigating allegations that an air traffic controller was sleeping on the job at reagan national airport

when two commercial pilots tried to land yesterday. pamela brown joins us live from the airport with details. >> we have learned this morning that the ntsb pass confirmed pilots from two separate flights were not able to make contact with the tower at reagan national airport in the early morning hours on wednesday. there was only one air-traffic controller inside the tower at the time. a supervisor who allegedly fell asleep while on duty. an american airlines pilot on a flight from miami with a plane full of passengers could not reach reagan national, co-pilot had to contact the region's terminal center, located in virginia. 15 minutes later united flight from chicago safely landed at reagan national airport after being alerted by the regional

center. this highlights a longstanding concern of controller fatigue. passengers still troubled by what happened. >> it scares me a little. i would like to think i would not be asleep at the wheel if i was driving. >> i would open would but procedures into place so this would never happen again. >> too many things could happen up there to not pay attention. >> transportation secretary ray lahood is asking now for two air traffic controlers to be placed in the tower and is looking at other conditions across the country now. pamela brown, abc 7 news. another developing story. in japan two workers at a crippled nuclear power plant are in the hospital after being exposed to dangerous levels of radiation. a spokesperson for the fukushima plant says the accident happened while the men were laying

electrical cable. two dozen workers have been hospitalized since the plant began leaking radiation. a private funeral is planned for later this week for a hollywood legend elizabeth taylor. the academy award winning actress died yesterday of congestive heart failure. she was one of the last of the classic movie stars. she was also known former stormy personal life. eight marriages. she was an activist who raised millions of dollars for aids research. elizabeth taylor was 79 years old. 6:07 on this thursday, 40 degrees outside. >> when we return, why you may have to worry if you want to cast the cherry blossoms at their best. >> also, we will talk about spring's stormy start, a look at wild weather wreaking havoc all across the country. >> lisa baden as another check of your thursday morning commute.

>> i am with the national park service. soon the terry bugs will turn into cherry blossoms. come on down and enjoy all the beauty. -- soon the terry blcherry buds will turned to cherry blossoms. steve rudin in the belfort furniture weather center. the rain is in front royal and warrenton and culpeper. up to the north in hagerstown and westminster, you will stay dry for a good part of the morning and for this afternoon.

there's a little patchy fog this morning. highs in the mid to upper low 40's up to about 50 would sunshine later today. cool tomorrow and even cooler on the weekend. that forecast in a few minutes. first, lisa baden. inner loop in maryland, the ramp to 50 is open. it will come back after the rush hour or to do the cleanup. you can head for annapolis. out of manassas into centreville, allow yourself extra time. a crash on 66 east near 28, centreville, moved to the shoulder. no distractions out of frederick. 270 southbound, everything is status quo. nothing to report on 355. back to you. >> thank you. 6:11. you will have a little less time to see the cherry blossoms at

their peak bloom. the national park service says that it will likely be from march 29 through april 1. all horticulturist previously predicted the people's will last through april 3. looks like the weather is not going to allow that to this year. >> it's too bad. >> it would have been perfect to wrap up while the festival wraps up. what are you going to do? get out and enjoy it what you have sunshine. rex parade is on the nights. our director just told me. -- the parade is the 9th. 6:12, 40 degrees. >> coming up in the news, looking at the president's chances in 2012. how the white house would fare against any republican challenger. >> dodging dui checkpoints with

your smartphone, blackberry takes action regarding the controversial application. >> why the district is plagued

tech in our top stories. a man with a history of mental illness is charged with murdering two people in olney. 35-year-old rohan goodlett is accused of killing 81-year-old nazir ahmed and 41-year-old punyasara gedara. authorities say he was on a conditional release after being found not criminally responsible for a 2008 crime. president obama appears to be in good shape heading into next year's election. he is leading in a pull over a republican candidate 47-37%. either mitt romney or mike

huckabee could be the gop nominee according to the poll. d.c. maybe one of the worst cities in which to use a cell phone. a consumer group, j.d. power says 20% of calls have a problem or are dropped altogether. the reason is a mystery. j.d. power reports switching carriers will not help. a powerful spring storm system brought bad weather to many parts of the country. it's far from over. the nasty system is moving to the northeast. brad wheeler has more on the damage left behind. >> neighborhoods in suburban pittsburgh were blown apart by a tornado, along with powerful winds and hail. debris was tossed around yards and groups were ripped off houses. a school was damaged moments after last night's funnel cloud. >> my wife and kids and i were

scaled. -- scared. >> all you could see was debris. >> it hits between omaha and the insidious, leaving houses and businesses in shambles. >> the garage exploded. >> property owners wasted no time rebuilding. floodwaters warising in minnesota. this person said the waters reached his front door in a matter of hours. what's a lot of people said we needed to move, but we love the house. >> in northern wisconsin, 15 inches of snow fell. from michigan to northeast pennsylvania, the roads were dangerous because of freezing rain and sleet falling with the snow. >> it is march. we will be lucky if we don't get a snowstorm in april. >> a semi trucks carrying 40,000 pounds of eggs crashed forcing twin cities commuters into a

scramble. the gusty winds in the middle of the country made issues -- made conditions favorable for the most daring in minnesota. the surf was up along the icy shores of lake superior, north of duluth. storm warnings are posted in the midwest after nasty conditions knocked out power at yosemite national park, it could be the next round of march misery. abc news, los angeles. maryland's senior senator wants pepco held accountable. senator barbara mikulski wants to testify before the state public service commission later today. she will ask utility regulators for stronger liability standards. the senator says pepco's frequent blackouts are a serious safety issue. a down payment to prepare for the end of days? >> and pulling the plug on a controversial application. peggy bunker has those stories and more. >> good morning. we begin with word that showtime

is calling its original -- pulling its original programming from netflix. cbs will offer shows like dexter. netflix announced its own original programming earlier this week. vegetable prices should be coming down in the next weeks. they shot because of cold weather in the south and in mexico. the crops planted after the freezes are now coming in. you will have to wait longer for the toyota prius minivan. there's been a delay because a the japanese situation, a parts shortage. the earthquake, tsunami, and radiation leaks are helping one industry. the company that makes domesday shelters. inquiries are up as 1000%. the shelters can cost millions of dollars. that is your money scope report. thanks for watching. i am peggy bunker. time for traffic and weather every ten minutes. 6:18.

now to steve rudin. >> they will improve dramatically compared to right now. foggy. and there's a little drizzle and especially to the west. it feels like 35. bundle up. aunt warrenton 44 degrees -- at warrenton. wind gusts of 11. 40 degrees in alexandria. the farther south you go is where the milder air is located. 47 in fredericksburg. this is the cold front that moved through during the overnight hours. there were thunderstorms lightning, heavy rain. all that's left is a few scattered showers. winchester, front royal culpeper to fredericksburg showers not going to a lot to we did not going to amount to much. here's the forecast. 9:00 temperatures in low 40's

with a little patchy fog that will diminish. gradual clearing by lunchtime 45 degrees. around 50 for the afternoon temperature if we are lucky. 47-52 with gradual clearing. tonight we will see temperatures falling, 25 degrees in the northern and western suburbs around freezing downtown. bring your plants inside. 47-52 tomorrow. the extended outlook, and temperatures below average not only for tomorrow, but saturday. 41 on sunday with rain showers. a bit milder by tuesday. 66 eastbound has a delay out of manasseh's getting into centreville. 95 growing in volume of woodbridge to get to newington. this is springfield traffic. northbound are the headlights. open up to the pentagon. 270 slowing at father hurley, no

accidents reported to germantown. metro will on normal service systemwide. longstanding crash out of the way for now, inner loop to 50. they will come back after the rush hour or to finish the cleanup. back to you. >> thank you. 40 degrees outside 6:21. >> what is next for some d.c. teachers parents, and students now that their school is scheduled to close? >> >> today on "oprah," if you missed the australian adventure the first time, here's your chance, 4:00 on abc 7.

a d.c. charters school have to close its doors at the end of the school year. thea bowman preparatory academy in northeast d.c. will set down three years after opening. it has 70 students in grades 5 through 8, but the enrollment numbers have been disappointing. >> there are lot of the charter schools around and all competing for students. it is difficult to stand out. >> it was a learning experience going through this. it's very difficult. we hope to move on from this. >> the school will host a community forum in the next two weeks to help parents decide where to send their children next year. high-school senior markus batchelor hopes to pursue a career in politics and he and

eight other high school seniors are very well on their way to reaching their goals. take a look. >> its a great opportunity. it was totally unexpected. >> he is referring to when he and several other students found out wednesday that they had won a full four-year scholarship to george washington university. that will cover tuition room and board, books, fees everything at the $52,000 per year university. his mother pay is a single mom and she says the scholarship has lifted a big weight off her shoulders. >> my dream has come true. my heart is filled with so much joy. >> that is also. he attends thurgood marshall public high-school in southeast. a fellow classmate moo bae was also awarded the george washington scholarship. the distance from the same school receiving that. each spot the other was going to

win. when both of their names were announced, they could not have been more excited. clearly they are very deserving. a very competitive scholarship. >> that's fantastic. you know when the mascot's shows up at your school, something is about to happen. >> and we are happy for his mother. there's still another half- hour of good morning washington ahead. >> five days of air strikes in libya and another day of questioning on capitol hill. we will have a live report. >> steve rudin in the belfort furniture weather center. a few showers to the south and west of d.c. looking for a gradual clearing after that and even some

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>> live and in hd, this abc 7 "news at noon." on your side. two commercial airliners

were forced to land at reagan national without help from air traffic controllers. an investigation is underway to determine if the comptroller on duty was actually asleep on the job. good morning washington, it is about 6:30 on this thursday morning and thank you for being here with us. i am alison starling. >> i am cynne simpson. we will begin with meteorologist steve rudin. >> we are tracking a few showers in the bill for furniture center. the big story we had last was the heavy rain and thunderstorms and they are long gone. everything is pushing off toward the atlantic, just a few showers or remain especially to the south and west of the city they are moving to the south and east. it looks like d.c. will see the potential for a few areas of drizzle but it will not amount to a whole lot. we will call for gradual clearing today with temperatures only in the upper 40's.

doug hill will be here in a few minutes. if you are heading out of marshall to get into manassas and vienna, eastbound 66 has action spotted on the shoulder with an accident at 28/centreville inside the beltway looks good to roslyn and falls church. no problems at the roosevelt bridge. 95 northbound as a pretty hefty back up out of fredericksburg to get to stafford and the beltway. 270 delays are southbound between 180 and germantown the time is 6:31. we have recognized prince george's county where police are investigating a shooting that left two people dead and another in grave condition. the shots were fired in a parking lot of it apartment complex on victory lane in suitland. police are looking for two

suspects in a gray, midsized car with tinted windows. it might be a ford taurus. we will follow this breaking news. it is a frightening thought for air travelers. this morning the faa is investing allegations that an air traffic controller was sleeping on the job at reagan national airport. part of the incident was recorded. pamela brown joins us live from the airport with more. >> good morningthe ntsb confirms that pilots from two separate flights were unable to reach below an air-traffic controller at reagan national early wednesday morning despite repeated calls for clearance. the latest incident highlights the longstanding concerns of controller fatigue. officials are speaking out. transportation secretary ray lahood says "traffic -- air traffic controllers should be on

duty. a lone controller allegedly nodded off while on duty early wednesday morning. >> there was no answer. >> not one but two flights had to lend at ronald reagan without any contact from the air traffic controller. there were 97 people on board one and the pilot was forced to reach out to the region terminal control which normally hands-off flights to the tower shortly before landing them its gears me a little. i would like to think i would not be asleep at the wheel. >> 15 minutes later, a united airlines flight from chicago landed with clearance from a different air traffic controller. >> the tower is apparently unmanned. >> the faa isn't on -- is investigating the incident. they are looking into staffing issues and whether existing procedures were followed appropriately.

aviation officials say it is unlikely that the safety of the planes was at risk. still, the latest incident is troubling for passengers and officials. we hope to learn more from the investigation. thank you. there are many unanswered questions after a man with a history of mental illness was arrested and charged with killing two men in olney. he is accused of killing an 81- year-old and a 41-year-old. authorities say he was on a conditional release after being found not criminally responsible for a crime in 2008. some say he was not being watched closely. >> he was supposed to being monitored. the result is hideous. it is beyond hideous. >> the agency responsible for monitoring and say they will review this case.

investigators still don't know what led to the shooting. nato ships are now patrolling off the libyan coast this morning after another night of air strikes over tripoli. president obama is facing new pressure over congress for the u.s. role. family schmidt has the latest. >> good morning. it was one week ago today that the u.n. security council approved the no-fly zone in libya. details about who will enforce it and how are still being hammered out. then gauzy rebels fighting for the libyan future waving the flag of the libyan past, the flag before moammar khaddafi. it is proved that the no-fly zone is working. >> many libyans are safer today because the international community took action. >> coalition air strikes have continued for a fifth night. these are french fighter jets.

nato is activating planes of the libyan coast but so far, the majority of the attacks have been u.s.-led. of 161 missiles fired all but four were american. president obama will meet with his national security team today and the u.s. will reduce its involvement within days. >>at a rally near the gaddafi compound supporters chanted anti-gaddafi slogans and 90 miles out of tripoli, government officials showcased the tribe said to support the libyan leader as his power is in peril but he sees himself as in vulnerable and this is his finest hour. >> to say that these are glorious hours when his entire resume is threatened is quite remarkable really. >> here in washington, some republican leaders are calling on president obama to explain the u.s. mission in libya.

john boehner sent a letter to the white house yesterday. one republican senator called for a congressional hearing. >> we will discuss that with political in a few minutes. since >> 6:36 is the time and 39 degrees outside. >> hollywood remembers elizabeth taylor, a look back at the life and legacy of one of tinseltown's biggest stars of. >> plus a familiar face to redskins fans is heading back to the sideline >> first, another check under traffic and weather

we are following breaking news from texas this morning. take a look at this picture. you can see there is a tractor- trailer dangling over the interstate. it is happening right now over interstate 35 just west of fort worth. the driver of the truck has been rescued. workers are trying to secure the tanker to keep it from plunging from the overpass onto the interstate. we will continue to watch this breaking news out of texas. >> incredible pictures -- 6:40 is the time and time for traffic and weather every 10 minutes. >> let's go out to doug hill who

heard the thunderstorms last night in calvert county. >> it was definitely noisy and a lot of rain and things are quieting down most people are dealing with some drizzle right now. we'll start with a radar and show you the area of rain to the south of the metro area. most of it is in warrenton to culpeper. many areas have some drizzle but that will improve this morning. these guys will turn partly sunny and it will be breezy. 39 degrees in frederick and gaithersburg right now. we can see skies clearing to the north and west behind this the system. we will be fined today. it will become a bit breezy and temperatures will hold in the mid to upper 40's. we'll take a longer look at the weather locally and around the area when we come back them up see you in a little bit. >> another former nfl coach

is headed to the usfl. \ lisa baden is keeping an eye on traffic. you are trying to trick me. [laughter] get a cup of coffee and watch this. 66 have an accident in centreville which is on the shoulder and 95 is pretty relaxed this morning with no accidents between woodbridge and the beltway. we will take you to two cameras. father hurley boulevard down to the beltway, here is the pace and the next, will show us what it looks like on 395 duke st. to the pentagon. now to that story. sorry, i don't know the flow of things yet. the story is that another former nfl coach is headed to the

public -- up-and-coming ufl/ >> former redskins coach marty schottenheimer will take the place -- take a position on the virginia destroyers. they were based in virginia beach and it is their first season. he brings 30 years of nfl coaching experience. they are lucky to get him. 6:23 is your time and -- 6:43 is your time. >> coming up, and john boehner's angry words to the white house.

>> 6:45 is your time. one of losses of the brightest stars, elizabeth taylor died

thursday of congestive heart failure in los angeles. >> she was larger than life on screen and off. fans followed her life as much as her career. >> you will therefore assume the decision of a suppliant before this from. >> the piercing eyes and jet black hair, she was america's sweetheart for two generations. today, her fans are finding it hard to believe elizabeth taylor is gone. i fear >> like a lost a family member. >> that is the way so many felt about her. she captivated us on screen. a movie screen from the age of 12, a veteran of more than 50 films from "national velvet" " cat on a hot tin roof" to cleopatra. we felt we knew her. off the screen, she did not hide her flaws or her life. it was like an open book. >> i consent an inordinate amount of alcohol. combined with pills it was

deadly. >> she was one of the first hollywood stars to speak openly about her battles with addiction, with weight, and her on-again off-again romance is. in 1976, she married an aspiring politician from virginia, john warner. in his words, she helped him lay the foundation for a 30-year career in the senate. >> thank-you for all the heartfelt condolences that you have expressed for this iconic figure. >> she, unbeknownst to many people was instrumental in this country's response to hiv aids. >> the whitman walker clinic in the district is named after elizabeth taylor and she worked tirelessly to help remove the stigma of aids. what a life. a private funeral will be held later this week. switching gears we turn to today's political minute and the house speaker's war of words with the white house. >> we have james homan with us

to tell us why john boehner is so upset about the situation in libya. john boehner feels like he did not get adequate briefing in a dance of the attack. he feels like there are unanswered questions about what we are doing. he says there is not a clear command structure and not a clear end in sight. it is not clear how we will pay for this. he laid out these questions in a letter where he said what we are doing in libya is deeply troubling theme has there been a response to the white house? >> the white house says this is not technically a war. it will be days, not weeks and it is going well. they feel like they did adequately briefed john boehner in advance of us bombing over the weekend. that is where there will be tension in the days to come. >> the republicans have been pretty adamant about taking a stand on this. >> there is still a huge

division. many republicans are using this moment to come out in opposition to nation-building after a decade of george bush being in office when they were politically supportive of iraq and afghanistan. you have interventionist elements of the republican party and you have a more traditional people who don't think we should do things unless they are critical to american national security and interests. there is tension among the gop and we will see that debate played out in the next few months in the republican primary process. >> the president says we will be reduced to a support role in a few days. we will see what happens. time for traffic and weather every 10 minutes. >> doug hill is standing by with the latest. you said your dogs were freaking out on the storms last night? they don't like that under so much. they can only heightens so many places.

behind the sofa where i was hiding, there was not much room for them. let's take a look at our live whether camera in chesapeake beach. we are 20 minutes from sunrise. it would normally be pretty bright but there is a heavy overcast and it is dark. temperatures are chile, 39 degrees in northwest. temperatures will slowly climb for the rest of the day. arlington is 40 degrees and the numbers will climb to the upper 40's this afternoon. we have a low pressure area out to sea now. the showers are moving south east and it is leaving a little and drizzle. that will improve as we get to the late morning and skies will start to clear and it will become breezy. this gives you a taste of the timing. high pressure builds in from the north and it will be partly sunny by this afternoon clear and cold tonight. bright sunshine tomorrow and it turns even colder as we get into the weekend.

today, lingering showers and gradual clearing, 52 degrees and colder skies tonight 25-32 degrees. high temperatures will be 47-52 and called on the weekend and not so pleasant by sunday. steve rudin will look at the seven-day forecast in a few minutes. >> there are many people in town for the cherry blossoms but it will be freezing. >> there is a minor crash i-95 south in maryland. we will give it a normal travel times between dale city and springfield, between washington and baltimore 66 we will give a green light. the crash has moved to the shoulder. a live picture in the geico traffic center in greenbelt maryland. this is the beltway at kenilworth ave. we will be right back.

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good morning 6:54 is the time and we are following

breaking news this morning of a deadly shooting incident. this is brand new video just in to abc 7, three people were shot in the parking lot of apartment complex on victory lane. one person died at the scene and a second was taken to the hospital in grave condition. a third victim was driven to a d.c. police substation where she was also pronounced dead. police are looking for two suspects in a gray, midsized car with dark-tinted windows. get a last look at traffic and weather. >> we are saturated with vehicles on 270 out of germantown, 66 in manassas in centreville and fair oaks, 95 in woodbridge it is slowing at landmark good at the wilson bridge a crash on the exit ramp toward my annapolis. a good lead into steve rudin is this picture of pennsylvania avenue. things are drying up.

temperatures are well below average and a reprieve for tomorrow but near sunshine, near 50 degrees, cool on saturday and click cooler on sunday. it will not really work out with the cherry blossoms. one company has an unusual way to help its employees get physically fit. >> it involves multitasking. the call center in redding california has installed a working war could -- a walking workstation. employees can walk while they work and making use the treadmill for up to one hour at a time. they will determine what effect the program will have on health and productivity. >> that is a great idea. they are glad to have that when they said so long taking phone calls than absolutely, you need to get up and move and stretch. >> that does it for us. we will be back with more local news at 7:26. >> "good morning america" up

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